Thursday, October 8, 2015

Yes, you NEED a Virtual Assistant but is the timing right?

This is not the first time that I have discussed why you should have a
virtual assistant as part of your staff. The amount of time that you can free
up to do more important things can make a huge difference in your daily life
and provide you the opportunity to do more important tasks. It has occurred to
me however that hiring a VA at the wrong time can be a big mistake.

Why do I say this? Well, one thing that many people overlook when hiring a
VA for the first time is the fact that you
must have a game plan for them to follow from day 1. Without proper
planning your new VA will not know what to do and you will end up paying for a
lot of wasted time and energy. Assuming that your VA will simply “jump in” and
start performing miracles is not very realistic. Remember, most VA’s are
telecommuters and will not be sitting next to you in the office. You need to
provide them with a definite strategy and details on exactly what they need to
do.

This means that you must have a
proven system in place before hiring
someone to take on those particular duties. It’s time to hire a VA when
you are already doing their job for
them. If you are spending too much time answering the phone, posting blogs,
placing ads, doing administrative tasks and so on, that is the time to hire a VA. Your new assistant can be taught
exactly how you want these things done and you will then have more time to deal
directly with clients and do the things that you do best. More time with
clients can translate into more business and isn’t that the ultimate goal?

Finally, don’t expect miracles! You need to give your new VA the time to
adjust to your specific needs and goals. Be
picky when hiring your new assistant. You wouldn’t hire any other
employees based on a 5 minute Skype interview, right? Then why do this with a
VA? You might be surprised to hear me say that in many ways a virtual assistant
is the most important person in your company. Does that sound strange to you?
It shouldn’t. A well qualified VA can do something that other employees can’t; they
can increase your productivity time.

What is more important than having enough time to keep your clients happy
and to respond to their concerns quickly and efficiently? I can’t think of a
single thing because even the most efficiently run business is obsolete without
clients. A VA can literally change your life but not if you don’t take the time
to hire the right one and train them well.